How to Prepare for NDA Written Entrance Exam
To join National Defence Academy a candidate must appear in the entrance exam conducted by UPSC, twice a year, normally in month of March and August.
Before we get into the details about how to prepare for NDA Written Entrance Exam, let us first understand a little bit about NDA Exam. the written test comprises two papers Mathematics and General Ability.
Exam Name: National Defence Academy (NDA)
Age : Minimum 16.5 years, maximum -19 years as on first day of the month the course is due to begin
Educational Qualification: 12th pass for Army and 12th pass with Physics and Mathematics for Navy and Air Force. You can even choose to apply while you are appearing for your 12th exam. That will save you a year.
Marital status: Unmarried
Exam held in the month of: The exam is conducted twice a year - every six months usually in April and August
Preparation Time: Start off after your class X (preferred)
Negative marking: Yes
Guidelines / Strategies To Prepare For NDA Exam
1.Focus on full Syllabus:
The first point to be followed by knowing the syllabus thoroughly. A glimpse of syllabus is given below:
•Paper I (Mathematics):
Trigonometry, Algebra, Integral Calculus, Differential Calculus, Analytical Geometry, Probability, Statistics, Matrices and Vector Algebra.
•Paper II:
Part A (English): Basic knowledge of English, skills in comprehension, mistake spotting, synonyms, antonyms, article writing, grammar related questions etc.
Part B (General Knowledge): Includes Physics, Chemistry, history, general science, geography, current affairs, social studies etc.
Note: the detailed syllabus can be seen from the official website of UPSC.
2. Know what is the pattern of NDA written exam:
The knowledge of pattern of any examination is also important to prepare well. The written examination is MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) type. Candidates have to use OMR sheets to record their answers. One has to select the right answer from a set of options given with each question. The brief pattern of both papers is given below:
Papers I: The mathematics paper is of 300 marks (120 MCQs) of duration 2.5 hr.
Paper II: This paper comprises of two section i.e. Section A and Section B. The section A is of English (200 marks, 50 MCQs) and Section B (400 marks, 100 MCQs) is of general knowledge.
All questions are multiple choice questions type and contain negative marking for the wrong answers.
3. Preparation of your own notes:
Always prepare in advance. After knowing the syllabus, collect books and notes and start preparing. One has to be disciplined and show dedication towards studies in order to pass NDA exams. One can also refer preparation sources like e-books, online preparation, online groups, blogs, social networking (Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp etc) etc. you can join NDA Coaching and make your personal point-wise notes which will help you for understanding the subject and these can be referred whenever required.
3. Keep yourself motivated:
Motivation is the internal drives to accomplish a goal and it makes people to work. A candidate to join armed forces may be the personal satisfacton and pride, professional advancement, job security and economic stability, postretirement benefits etc.
5. Previous year’s question papers:
Once you feel that you are prepared, refer to previous year’s question papers of NDA exam and find out where you are lacking and again focus on those topics. So, start well in advance, works hard, be determined and dedicated towards studies which will ensure greater success. Solving mock question papers also works.
Plan during your NDA Exam Day:
It is important to plan your day of exam. One can follow following points on the day of exam:
•Get plenty of rest the night before, good sleep is necessary. Eat a healthy and light meal.
•Get to the exam room with time to spare, get settled in and have time to relax before the test starts.
•Time management and planning to solve the question paper is very important to succeed in any exam, so, don’t waste your time on a question which is not known to you, switch to next question and attempt it at last.
•Also, one should read statements of choices carefully before writing the correct option in the box.
•For managing speed, attempt easier questions first and mark the tougher ones for later time.
•If time permits, revise the answers.
Most importantly, be positive, be focused and believe in yourself. Prepare strategically and put in a lot of hard work. You will perform well in the exam and the day will be yours.
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